Horner's Post Qatar Grand Prix Comments Spark More Rumors About Perez's Exit

Monday, 02 December 2024 at 15:51

Christian Horner's comments about Sergio Perez and his future in Red Bull following the 2024 Qatar Grand Prix sparked more speculation about a potential exit.

Red Bull Racing F1 driver Sergio Perez prolonged his unfortunate streak of Grand Prix races without a top-five finish (17) in the 23rd round of the season in Qatar, where he retired on lap 39.

The Mexican driver had a decent qualifying session and started the race from P9. By lap 39, he managed to climb into P5, but that was when everything unraveled for the 34-year-old.

Perez was desperately trying to put heat into his hard tires as all cars followed the safety car, and as he was coming out of turn number 14, he suddenly spun around.

F1TV commentators and former F1 drivers David Coulthard and Jolyon Palmer concluded that Perez just used too much throttle on the exit of the corner, which resulted in the spin.

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As he turned the car around, the Mexican driver couldn't keep going and said on the team radio that he "lost drive." Consequently, he had to retire his car.

Speaking to the media after the Grand Prix, the team principal of Red Bull Racing, Christian Horner, said about the incident:

"We're just investigating the exact failure but it looks like, obviously he's spun the car and as he dropped the clutch, the clutch had too much temperature go through it. So yes, one of those things. But more to come after we've stripped the car."

"Checo's contributed a huge amount to this team in the four years that he's been here. The world championship that Max achieved in '21, the constructors' world championships in '22 and '23 and obviously this year has been particularly hard."

"He's won five Grand Prix for us, and he's had some outstanding performances in races like Singapore, Azerbaijan, Saudi Arabia, to name a few."

"Everybody holds Checo in the highest of regard and respect, but obviously, the situation that we're in is as painful for him as it is for the team."

There have been previously numerous speculations about the potential split between Red Bull and Sergio Perez at the end of the season, and what the team principal of the Austrian team added only fueled them.

"Checo has had a very tough year and obviously the points, the tables are what they are. We're very much focused on really supporting him to the chequered flag in Abu Dhabi."

"It's not an enjoyable situation for Checo being in this position with speculation every week. He's old enough and wise enough to know what the situation is and let's see where we are after Abu Dhabi."